I Accidentally Validated My Idea... FAST

So there I was, deep in the trenches building my MVP, when I stumbled upon a platform that completely blew my mind. I won't name names, but here's what made my jaw drop: this company had already reached Series B funding with a whopping $25 million valuation.

If you're not familiar with funding rounds, Series B is when startups have proven their concept and are ready to scale big time. We're talking serious money and serious validation.

Here's the thing

Discovering this competitor didn't make me want to throw in the towel. Not even close. Instead, it lit a fire under me like nothing else could. Why? Because it perfectly validated my idea.

For over a month, I'd been building my MVP in what I thought was a pretty empty space. Honestly, I barely thought about competitors at all. I was naive enough to believe I had little to no competition. Looking back, that was both incredibly short-sighted and... kind of genius? The Accidental Advantage of Building in a Bubble

Here's where it gets interesting. Since I didn't research competitors beforehand, I wasn't copying anyone. I built everything from scratch, following my own instincts about what users needed.

Then when I finally discovered this Series B startup, something incredible happened, their features were almost identical to mine. Even our web architecture was remarkably similar!

You might think "game over," but I saw it completely differently. The fact that I, starting from zero, had independently created features comparable to a $25 million startup? That didn't spell doom, it screamed "You're on the right track!"

Like the classic David vs. Goliath Strategy

Big companies with tons of features come with big costs. Those costs get passed down to customers who end up paying premium prices for functionality they might not even use.

That's where I see my opportunity. My strategy is beautifully simple:

• Pick 2-3 features that customers actually need

• Price it lower than the competition

This isn't about going head-to-head with the giants. It's about capturing that niche market of users who don't need all the bells and whistles but are currently stuck paying premium prices for bloated solutions.

These customers are looking for an alternative that just works - and that's exactly what I'm building.

The Honest Reality Check Moment

If you found yourself in my shoes, how would you handle it?

I'll be honest - I did feel a tiny bit deflated when I first made this discovery. It's only natural. But giving up? Not a chance.

There's something powerful about realizing that your instincts were spot-on, even when you didn't know what you were up against. It's validation of the purest kind.

Remember: Never Stop Shipping

At the end of the day, this discovery didn't slow me down - it supercharged my motivation. Sometimes the best validation comes from learning you're not alone in seeing an opportunity, especially when that opportunity is big enough to attract $25 million in funding.

The market is huge. There's room for different approaches, different price points, and different solutions.

So here I am, more convinced than ever that I'm building something valuable. The competition isn't a threat - it's proof that I'm onto something big.

Keep shipping 🚀,
Ingpawat